People of Perley - Susan Shea
When Susan began her career with Perley Health as a palliative care nurse practitioner consultant, she stepped thoughtfully into rooms where families were navigating their last precious days with their loved ones.
What she learned during this time had a profound impact on her, not just personally, but professionally.
“I realized what an excellent interdisciplinary team Perley had and the quality care that they provided,” she recalls. “It really impressed me.”
She pledged that if a nurse practitioner role ever opened at Perley, she'd apply. Life, however, had its own plan. Her father, an Air Force veteran, was admitted to Perley. Suddenly she was in the room, not as a clinician, but as a daughter.
The experience strengthened her understanding of how individualized, compassionate care can shape a family's final chapter.
“They made my father feel at home,” she describes.
Susan deeply appreciated how the team paid attention to every aspect of her father's care. “The care team looked after his medical and psychosocial needs. I felt they were all very engaged.”
A year after her father passed, Susan applied for the first nurse practitioner position at Perley Health and was thrilled to be offered the role and now manages a growing team of nurse practitioners.
Susan leads the Convalescent Care Program and provides medical care to long-term care and convalescent residents. Convalescent care, she explains, offers a bridge between the hospital and rehabilitation or home after an injury causing a bone fracture. Many of the people she meets on the unit have never even been inside a long-term care home before.
On the unit, residents work closely with an interdisciplinary team to improve their health and functional ability. “We are helping individuals to gain strength, mobilize and stabilize their medical condition in readiness to participate in a Rehabilitation Program or return home,” says Susan with a smile.
She's energized by Perley Health's growth, from expanded clinical services to intergenerational programs. “They're ever expanding with innovations for seniors,” she says. “I'm excited to see what comes in the future.”
One thing however, remains constant: the perspective Susan brings as both family member and clinician. It shapes how she engages with every family member, and every resident. “I strive to make sure that they have the best medical care to improve their quality of life. When I'm speaking with them, I enjoy hearing their stories and shared pearls of wisdom. I like to hear what is important to them and know them better. And this information enhances my life too.”
“I strive to make sure that they have the best medical care to improve their quality of life. When I'm speaking with them, I enjoy hearing their stories and shared pearls of wisdom. I like to hear what is important to them and know them better. And this information enhances my life too.” Susan Shea, NP-PHC, BScN, MScN, Nurse Practitioner Lead, Convalescent Unit